A Christmas Classic: You're a timeless kid, Charlie Brown

By R. Scott Reedy/For The Patriot Ledger

Saturday

Nov 24, 2018 at 7:16 AM

As a comic-strip character forever in grammar school, Charlie Brown endures more than his fair share of disappointments.

From his unrequited love for the little red-haired girl, his hapless baseball team, his inability ever to connect with Lucy’s football, the little boy has a lot of experience with life’s downsides, and enough spirit never to let them overwhelm him.

That oft-tested indomitability came in handy when the Charles M. Schulz-created character found himself feeling depressed in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the first animated Peanuts television special that debuted on CBS on Dec. 6, 1965.

The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning special, with its instantly familiar Vince Guaraldi score, has been adapted for the stage in a touring production that comes to Boston’s Boch Center Shubert Theatre on November 29 – complete with a less-than-robust, but still attention-getting Christmas tree.

Donning Charlie Brown’s patented zigzag jersey in “A Charlie Brown Christmas Live on Stage” is Jack Flatley, a McLean, Va., native and 2017 graduate of the Steinhardt School at New York University.

By telephone recently during a break from a tech rehearsal in York, Pa., the 24-year-old spoke about what it’s like to bring an iconic comic-strip character to life, and more.

Q: How does the stage show compare with the animated TV special?

A: The production is actually a lot like the original. The well-known comic moments from the special have definitely been incorporated into this production. We have all the little bits that everyone knows and loves, plus extended dance and musical numbers, and a concert sequence at the end.

Q: Were you a fan of the animated special when you were growing up?

A: Oh my gosh, yes. It ran every year in my house, probably every year that I’ve been alive. It’s always been my favorite holiday special. I never miss it on TV. And getting ready to do this show, I’ve probably watched it a hundred more times.

Q: How do you prepare to play such an iconic character?

A: I played him in a middle-school production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” when I was 14, so I already had some idea of him. To prepare for this production, I was a little stuck at first, trying to nail down the “good griefs” and other such moments. I want to be like Charlie Brown, but not be a cartoon character on stage. It’s very humbling to portray a character that I and so many others have grown up with, so I just want to play him as honestly as possible.

Q: Who is your favorite Peanuts character and why?

A: It would be a cop-out to say Charlie Brown, but he truly is one of my favorites. He is a sort of everyman so there are facets of him that we can all see in ourselves. In this story, he’s just a little confused, as an 8-year-old might be. And he’s overwhelmed by the commercialism of Christmas.

Aside from Charlie Brown, I would have to go with Linus. The way he speaks – so eloquently and poignantly – really gets to me. He always tells it the way it is. I love the comedy of the relationship between Linus and Sally, too. It’s funny and very sweet.

Q: When it comes to decorating for the holidays, are you over-the-top like Snoopy with his fully festooned dog house, or do you take a more modest approach?

A: These days, I’m content with a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Growing up with my parents and my sister, however, we always decorated like there was no tomorrow.

Q: What do you think makes “A Charlie Brown Christmas” so enduringly popular?

A: The animated special was just so well done that it continues to be a beloved annual tradition, more than 50 years after it first aired. People really identify with Charlie Brown and his quest to understand the real meaning of Christmas, which is something that will probably never change.